Refuges and Wildlife
An active partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex and the Narragansett Indian Tribe.
In mid-2000, the acting Refuge Manager Gary Andres made a commitment to working with the Narragansett Indian Tribe located nearby the Refuge Complex office. Land in coastal Rhode Island was being purchased and developed at an unprecedented pace as the nearby metropolitan populations (Boston, Providence, Hartford, New York City) discovered the beauty and unique quality of shoreline Rhode Island. As with most Native American cultures, the Narragansett Indian Tribe is culturally and traditionally tied to the land and water and the natural resources associated with them. Mr. Andres recognized the value in an active alliance between the Tribe and the Refuge.
During Mr. Andres tenure as acting Refuge Manager: he fostered and completed a law enforcement Memorandum of Agreement (see Law Enforcement Memorandum of Agreement Below); initialized land protection measures adjacent to Tribal
lands; worked closely with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office and acted as a focus for protecting one of the most archaeologically significant parcels in coastal Rhode Island (see Bacari Property below); initialized formalization of a traditional right-of-way across Refuge lands (see Maynard Property below); and commenced development of a Cultural Resource Management memorandum of understanding.
The current Refuge Manager, Charles Vandemoer, continues to pursue an active partnership and fully supports coordination between the Refuge and the Tribe.
Law Enforcement Memorandum of Agreement (MOA):
This MOA formalized cooperation and training services between the Service’s Division of Law Enforcement and the Narragansett Tribal Police. Under the Agreement, both Service Special Agents and Tribal Police are authorized to enforce Federal and Tribal laws dealing with the protection and conservation of fish, wildlife and natural resources on Tribal lands. A subsequent Memorandum of Agreement is being considered to formalize a similar relationship between Tribal Police and Refuge Officers.
The Maynard Property Right of Way:
Granting this right-of-way enables the Tribe to facilitate and continue traditional recreational, cultural and ceremonial activities on adjacent Tribal lands (see figure 1). Additionally, it improves access for emergency response services while Tribal activities occur. It also allowed the Tribe to complete a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) sponsored road improvement project to facilitate access. The reconstruction project had been approved by the U.S. Federal
